Community Briefing

A lawsuit filed by several dozen Oak Forest residents over the city's forced annexation of their properties hit a roadblock this week.

Judge LeRoy Martin of the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court said he dismissed the lawsuit because it did not detail the personal harm that the forced annexation of about 50 acres near 167th Street and Cicero Avenue would cause residents. But Martin did say Mark Scarlato, one of the residents' attorneys, could amend the suit.

Scarlato said he planned to amend the suit after Wednesday's hearing. A status hearing on the case is scheduled for Sept. 5.

"I felt what I was looking at were conclusions and not a lot of facts behind them," Martin said of the suit during the hearing.

The city's attorneys said Scarlato should be required to appeal, not merely amend, the suit.

"They still haven't shown the city's annexation was improper and that there's a public interest in invalidating this annexation," said Julie Tappendorf, one of Oak Forest's attorneys.

The city forcibly annexed about 25 homes in November, hoping to transform the land into a retail development. But residents complained they weren't notified and their taxes would be raised.

-- Janice Neumann

ROMEOVILLE

Village buying land for community center

Romeoville is buying nearly 4 acres near Dalhart and Normantown Roads for a second community center for the village.

Village trustees Wednesday approved the purchase at a cost of $2.14 million.

Plans for the new center are still being developed. Preliminary plans should be presented to the board within the next two months, Village Manager Steve Gulden said.

The new community center would be in a section of downtown that the village wants to redevelop.

"It would be an economic engine for the downtown," Gulden said.

-- Alicia Fabbre

TINLEY PARK

Parking deck plans presented to officials

Plans are moving along for a $20 million parking facility and open area near the Oak Park Avenue Metra station in Tinley Park, officials said.

Chicago-based Teng & Associates on Tuesday presented new renderings of the proposed 50,000-square-foot open plaza and adjacent multistory parking deck to village officials.

The parking facility and underground garage would accommodate nearly 700 vehicles. One exterior wall potentially could be used as an outside movie-projection screen.

Teng's proposal for the plaza includes a tree-lined promenade, concert seating for 3,500 people and an ice-skating rink. Construction is expected to begin in 2009.

The firm is designing the project to maximum capacity, but will provide the village with the option of multiphased construction.